Executions Related to Protests in 2024

While the Islamic Republic has a bloody history of executing protesters, the execution of protesters in recent years began in 2020 after a series of nationwide protests in 2016-2019. Protesters Mostafa Salehi and Navid Afkari were both sentenced to death for fabricated charges of moharebeh and murder, but were executed for the latter as the Islamic Republic considers qisas or retribution-in-kind to be the right of the victim’s family and places the responsibility to choose retribution execution on them, making it easier to justify to the international community.[1] Following mass public backlash and international pressure, other known protesters on death row were released. At least two November 2019 protesters, Abbas Deris and Mohammad Javad Vafayi Sani, remain at risk (see Annex 4).

The execution of “Woman, Life, Freedom” protesters began in December 2022, with two protesters hastily executed, and continued into 2023 when eight more protesters were executed for security-related and murder charges.[2] As predicted last year, authorities used qisas charges for the execution of protesters in 2024 to evade accountability and shift responsibility to the families of the alleged victims. At least 13 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protesters remain on death row (see Annex 4).

Protesters executed in 2024

Mohammad Ghobadlu

Mohammad Ghobadlu was a 23-year-old protester arrested on 22 September 2022 during the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Tehran. He faced death penalty charges for the same alleged offence in both the Revolutionary and Criminal Courts. Mohammad was tried in a group trial at the Revolutionary Court on 29 October 2022. Without his lawyer and in breach of basic fair trial rights, Mohammad was sentenced to death for “efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through large-scale action against police by crashing into police with a car that caused the death of Farid Karampour Hasanvand and the injury of 5 police officers.” His sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court on 24 December 2022. Four subsequent appeals against his death sentence were rejected but a stay of execution was granted to prioritise the murder charges at the Criminal Court. On 10 December 2022, Mohammad was tried for murder by Branch 1 of the Tehran Criminal Court where the fact that he suffered from bipolar disorder was raised by his lawyers. The court reconvened after conducting further investigations but ultimately relied on the original Forensic Medical Organisation opinion to sentence him to death. On 23 January 2023, the Supreme Court accepted his appeal which was subsequently upheld on 23 May 2023. On 26 July 2023, Mohammad’s sentence was overturned by Branch 1 of the Supreme Court and sent for retrial at a court of equal standing. Despite months passing, Branch 5 of the First Criminal Court in Tehran did not receive his case file and sought guidance from the Supreme Court. The last notification received by his lawyers on 2 January 2024 stated that the retrial was “currently cancelled subject to the outcome of the investigation by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.” His lawyers were notified at 5 pm on 22 January 2024, after office hours, that his execution would be carried out the next day. Mohammad was hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison in Alborz province on 23 January 2024.[3]

Reza Rasayi

(Gholam) Reza Rasayi was a 36-year-old Kurdish protester of the Yarsan faith who was arrested on 24 November 2021 in relation to the death of IRGC member Nader Beirami at a ceremony held for Yarsan leader, Seyed Khalil Alinejad, on 18 November 2021, which people used as an opportunity to protest, holding “Woman, Life, Freedom” signs. Authorities falsely claimed the gathering, which they violently crushed, was unrelated to protests. Reza was the first defendant in a group trial of 11 defendants for charges of “participating in the murder of Nader Beirami with a cold weapon, participating in intentional bodily harm to the aforementioned with a knife and participating in disruption of public order by creating conflict, controversy and uproar” at Branch 2 of the Kermanshah province Criminal Court. In court documents obtained by IHRNGO, Reza denied the charges but that after “investigations” he was forced to confess to stabbing the officer. His co-defendants in the case were compelled to testify against Reza and were subsequently released or faced lighter sentences. One defendant later stated that he never saw Reza stab the victim and his testimony was made “out of fear.” Reza did not testify against anyone else and denied the charges in later investigations and in court, stating clearly that his confessions had been extracted under torture. All other defendants also later retracted their testimonies which had been made “under torture”. The court also dismissed two expert testimonies in Reza’s favour, including that of the Kermanshah Forensic Medical Examiner whose testimony showed that the fatal blow could not have been committed by Reza. In the judgement, the testimonies of torture were dismissed and despite a lack of evidence, the judge relied on elme-qazi (knowledge of the judge) to sentence him to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder on 7 October 2023. The IRGC officer’s family, the plaintiffs in this case, requested qisas, Reza’s execution.

Reza’s family were informed that his sentence had been upheld by Branch 17 of the Supreme Court on 24 December 2023. His appeal was rejected by Branch 1 of the Supreme Court without addressing the legal flaws and contradictions and an appeal filed for judicial review, under Article 477 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, was ignored.[4] His case was previously sent to the Kermanshah Sentence Implementation by Branch 2 of the Kermanshah Criminal Court. Reza was secretly executed in Kermanshah Central Prison, Kermanshah province, on 6 August 2024.[5]

[1] See IHRNGO and ECPM, Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, 2020: https://iranhr.net/media/files/Rapport_iran_2021-gb-290321-BD.pdf, p. 41.

[2] IHRNGO, Executions Related to Protests in 2023, 11 March 2024, https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6614/

[3] IHRNGO, Protester Mohammad Ghobadlu Executed in Karaj, 23 January 2024, https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6521/

[4] IHRNGO, Protester Reza Rasayi at Imminent Risk of Execution; 23 Executions Recorded in 5 Days, 26 April 2024, op. cit.

[5] IHRNGO, Protester Reza Rasayi Secretly Executed in Kermanshah, 6 August 2024, https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6834/